Elizabeth Edwards

This quote reminds me of how ‘life’ is full of twists and turns. We come across unexpected moments all of the time. This “unexpected” can be interpreted in two ways. One is that it can be a negative one such as the death of a loved one, a failure, heartbreak, diagnosis of an illness, etc. It can also be positive like an achievement or an accomplishment.

Change is the first and foremost step of growth. Be it a change of surroundings, situations or even people. Some changes are really hard to adapt to — they bring up a bundle of emotions all at once and we might be truly wondering why. That’s just how it is. Staying rooted in the past doesn’t change the present. Unacceptable changes often seem to make us more vigilant, fearful, or even overwhelmed. But if we look at it differently, they can bring a new outlook into the real world.

When we talk about change, we cannot ignore the transition from childhood to teenage and later to adulthood. It is basically our life cycle. Each stage of life prompts us to change our current attitude and behaviour. We go through a lot physically, mentally, and emotionally in each phase of our life. We also come across certain expectations from society as we grow up, such as responsibility and maturity. It’s easy to be overwhelmed by the pace of the world and feel the need to take a break.

I’ve always loved speaking, ever since I was a child. My mom used to write speeches for me, and I’d deliver them, even winning prizes along the way. Over time, I learned to write my own speeches and got really good at prepared peaking. But as I grew older, I realized life doesn’t always give us time to prepare. Sometimes, we have to speak on the spot, and that’s when I struggled with impromptu speaking.

I remember my first extempore competition in 9th grade. I was nervous, stuttered, had awkward pauses which led to embarrassing moments. My reality then was far from the usual flow of prepared speeches I was accustomed to. I could’ve quit right there, thinking impromptu speaking wasn’t my thing; but I kept participating in extempore, debates, and MUNs. I’m not perfect yet, but I’m getting better with each experience, adapting to change and pushing myself out of my comfort zone.

This reinforces a great quality we must have in life–optimism. Thinking positively will help us gain hope and perseverance through our adversities. Remember that each person is unique and everyone has their own way of dealing with things. So, we have to embrace our journey of change without comparison but at our own pace while hoping and striving for a better tomorrow.